No Big Deal
by SherlockWatsoned
Summary: Wes Hughes comes to Dalton Academy, were he befriends David Sullivan. A wild party later in the semester leaves the boys in a rather uncomfortable situation. Based off of CP Coulter's 'Dalton'.


_A/N: First of all, this is about a Glee fanfic, Dalton , by CP Coulter. So if you haven't read that, you should! Even if you've never watched an episode of Glee in your life, you will LOVE it._

_Someone posted a prompt for a drunk Wevid fic on CP Coulter's tumblr, so I thought I'd try writing my first fanfic. It kinda goes beyond that, but yeah! I tried to make it not-too-fluffy cause I figured there's enough of that out there. Here you go... (Also, if it strays a bit from canon, well, try not to mind. I tend to do that._

_P.S. _Sami_ belongs to Darren Criss. Reed, Drew, the Tweedles, Harvey, Medel, and probably some others I'm forgetting, as well as the three houses, belong to the lovely CP Coulter. Random OCs belong to me, and everything else belongs to Glee/Fox. Which I don't own._

* * *

><p>Wes Hughes couldn't understand the point of Freshman Orientation. It was, if anything, incredibly disorienting. The high-ceilinged Dalton Academy auditorium was quickly filling up with boys in their stiff navy uniforms. Most had already taken a seat, but Wes remained by the door, flattened against the wall as more students poured in.<p>

Glancing around the crowded room, Wes felt a familiar knot in his stomach. It was the same feeling he'd had on the first day of kindergarten, when all of the other children were laughing and fooling around. He'd stood by the door on that day too, unsure of what to do, wanting to join in, but too afraid to even introduce himself. The same feeling he'd had during every recess and lunch throughout elementary school. He'd spent most of these in the library, overwhelmed by all of the _people._He never knew who to talk to, or what to say.

He was so different from everyone in his family, as his cousins were quick to point out. At Hughes family gatherings, Jeff, Laiza, Marie, Dirk, and Abe were inseparable. They sat in a tight circle, and pulled tighter whenever Wes tentatively tried to join in. The Hughes family was the all-American type; big, loud, blonde, enthusiasts of both football and barbecue. Wes always felt like he didn't belong at these get-togethers. He was small, shy, and half Chinese. The only sport he liked was soccer, but he'd never worked up the courage to start a game. He often wondered if he'd fit in better with his mom's side, but the Ngau family lived in Hong Kong, and he'd never met them.

But now the auditorium lights were dimming, and Wes had still not found a seat. The fifteen-year-old frantically skimmed the rows, but it was impossible to see if there were any empty.

_"Here!"_A tall African-American boy in the last row waved Wes over to a seat at his left. Wes gratefully sank into the plush chair. He was surprised that the confident-looking boy had noticed him searching.

"I'm David."

David extended a hand to the shy teenager, who, blushing furiously, quickly gave it a stiff shake and muttered, "Wes."

* * *

><p>"The day students are now free to tour the campus, as I will begin assigning the boarders to their houses. When I call your name, please join your prefect on the stage. He will lead you to your dormitory," announced the Dean.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hughes, Wesley"<p>

"See you around, Wes," said David, grinning warmly as he stood up to let the boy pass. Wes stumbled, temporarily stunned by David's smile. People rarely looked at him with that much kindness, and certainly not perfect strangers.

When Wes reached the stage, the Dean pointed to a subdued group in the center of the stage. "Hanover," she informed him.

Wes made his way to the Hanover prefect, who checked his name off of a clipboard. He stood behind the softly whispering cluster, trying to blend in with the black curtain.

* * *

><p>"Sullivan, David"<p>

Wes snapped back to attention, recognizing the name. He watched as David strode confidently up to the dean, who directed him to a group of rowdy boys to her left. Wes was suddenly disappointed. He had been looking forward to seeing at least one familiar face in his dorm.

"You guys ready to go?" whispered the prefect, Erik, holding open the door for the newest Hanovers.

They marched outside, where they were met by Dalton's perfectly manicured gardens. Every hedge was trimmed neatly, the lawn was freshly cut, and even the flowers seemed to stand up straight. Wes found this somehow unnerving. He had a garden at home, too, but that one was overgrown and crowded, perfect for a shy teenager to hide in, a sanctuary for reading comic books and daydreaming.

As they made their way through the campus, Wes noticed something that didn't fit in with the rest of the tidy yard. A huge, gnarled tree loomed near the pathway. At its base was a hole the size of a soccer ball.

Erik noticed Wes staring.

"Rabbit hole, I think," he said, shrugging. "Honestly, I don't know why they don't just fill it up or whatever. Someone could trip."

Wes smiled to himself. His favorite book, though he would never admit it, was _Alice in Wonderland_. He'd always dreamed of falling into a rabbit hole, and going on some crazy adventure.

* * *

><p>"You'll be rooming with Blaise." Erik pointed Wes to the last dorm on the third floor.<p>

Wes cautiously entered the room. It was fairly unremarkable, with curtains and bedspreads in the Hanover colors of white and gold, two beds on opposite sides of the room, a beige couch in front of the fireplace, and a large desk, where Blaise was sitting, absorbed in something he was writing on his Mac.

"You must be Wes," stated the sophomore, not turning around.

"Yeah," Wes attempted to sound relaxed. "Writing a paper already? I knew that Dalton was serious about schoolwork, but I didn't realize they assigned homework on the first day..." He trailed off, realizing that Blaise was just looking at him blankly.

"Finishing my summer reading report," the taller boy responded, turning back to his computer.

"You get that bed. Keep everything on your side, and dinner's at six."

Wes heaped his green suitcase onto the bed closest to the window. He had an hour before dinner, and nothing to do. Looking out of the window, he realized he could see the enormous tree from his room.

"I'll see you at dinner!" he called over his shoulder, but Blaise didn't respond. Wes headed outside. He had nothing better to do, so why not explore the rabbit hole?

* * *

><p>The sun was already setting when Wes reached the tree. He got down on his knees, examining the hole. It was surprisingly round and neat, with a tunnel that appeared to reach beneath the tree's roots. He pulled out his iPhone, turning on a flashlight app, and shined it down the hollow. This was to little effect, as the chamber extended farther than the light could reach.<p>

"Careful not to fall in," someone just over his shoulder whispered. Wes jumped, dropping his phone, and accidentally elbowing the intruder.

"Shit, man! What was that for?" Wes laughed.

David shrugged. "Guess we both had the same idea. I saw this hole on my way to the dorm, and decided to check it out. What time is it, by the way?"

"Almost six, I guess. Let me check my phone," Wes glanced at the darkening sky, then reached for his pocket.

"What the... crap, where's my phone?" Suddenly, Wes looked horrified. "When you scared me, I dropped it. It must have... oh god!"

_Hermione Can't Draw_started playing. It was coming from the rabbit hole.

"Nice ringtone," David smirked.

Wes ignored him, dropping to all fours. He peered into the opening.

"I can't see it! What am I going to do?" Wes was starting to panic. The last thing he needed was to lose his brand new phone, a reward for achieving strait-As on every report card the past year.

"Relax, man. I'll get it," David said, nonchalantly dropping to his stomach. He reached into the hollow, so far that Wes could no longer see his head.

"And... got it!" David cried triumphantly, backing out of the hole with the iPhone. Wes took it gratefully, and turned it on.

"Great. It's 6:20. We're late for dinner!" Wes could already feel his stomach rumbling. He hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, as it was doubtful that he would have been able to keep it down.

"C'mon, the dining hall isn't that far," David assured him. He took Wes's hand, helping him up, then proceeded to pull him along toward the nearest building

Wes was surprised by David's hands. They were large and strong, swallowing Wes's own hands whole, but soft and full of warmth. David stumbled on a root, and Wes laughed, tugging him up again.

They finally made it to the dining hall, yanking open the double doors. The cavernous room was warm, and the smell of hot food filled the air.

"See you later, Wes," David called, heading toward the Windsor table.

Wes waved, then seated himself at the end of the Hanover table. Dinner that night was roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. Starving, Wes heaped his plate with the remaining food. He watched in amazement as David laughed at something one of Windsors had said. He had only met these people a couple of hours ago, yet he was already talking and joking like he'd known them his entire life. Wes wished that he had the confidence to talk to complete strangers with such ease.

The Hanovers at his table were making polite conversation.

"You're Wes, aren't you? Where'd you come from?" asked a kind boy with a Cockney accent.

"New Jersey," Wes choked on his potatoes, trying to answer quickly. As he coughed into his napkin, he noticed the other boys exchanging glances. The conversation quickly changed, and Wes tuned out.

* * *

><p>"Warblers? What's that?" Wes asked.<p>

He and David were walking to Biology together, and David had brought up the subject of auditioning.

"It's a sort of show-choir acapella group," David explained. "It's pretty popular, but hard to get into. You any good at singing?"

Wes shrugged. Truthfully, he had no idea. He'd avoided any opportunity of being in a chorus or musical in school, to ward of further alienation.

"Auditions are next week. We can practice together, if you want."

Wes looked doubtful. The last thing he wanted was to humiliate himself in front of a crowd of people.

"Aw, c'mon. Please?" David gave his most irresistible grin, the kind that stretched from ear to ear, showing off his perfect teeth, and made his eyes glitter. It was the kind of smile that made you feel warm inside, and Wes found himself agreeing against his better judgment.

* * *

><p>Harvey and Medel looked on with feigned interest. Wes Hughes was the last auditioning that day, and honestly, he didn't look particularly promising. He had missed his cue the first time the piano started, and looked like he'd rather sink into the floor than try again.<p>

Wes looked around the room frantically. He couldn't do this. He just couldn...

Suddenly, he found David. His friend smiled encouragingly. Wes took a deep breath, then signaled to the pianist.

_I've seen her face, I've heard her name__  
><em>_I've lost my place and she's to blame.__  
><em>_And I can't stand it when I'm staring in her eyes,__  
><em>_And she's not looking back__  
><em>_It ain't a big surprise_

Wes's voice was surprisingly strong and clear. Medel looked up from her empty Starbucks cup, intrigued.

_I've heard music, I've heard noise_  
><em>I wish that she could hear her voice<em>  
><em>The way that I do, when I go to sleep at night<em>  
><em>And dream my life away<em>  
><em>But she's gone when I awake<em>

Wes focused on David's face, because he knew that if he saw the pained looks everyone else was sure to be wearing, he wouldn't be able to keep singing.

_The way her hair falls in her eyes, makes me wonder if_  
><em>She'll ever see through my disguise, I'm under her spell<em>  
><em>Everything is fallin', I don't know where to land<em>  
><em>Everyone knows who she is<em>  
><em>But she don't know who I am<em>

_Sami__  
><em>_Sami__  
><em>_Why can't you see__  
><em>_What you're doing to me_

David couldn't tear his eyes away. Wes was looking directly into them, pouring his heart into the song that was causing more than a few sniffles from the Warblers.

_I've see you singin' on that stage,_  
><em>Looking like an angel and all I do is pray that maybe<em>  
><em>One day you'll hear my song and understand that all along<em>  
><em>There's something more that I'm trying to say, when I say<em>

Medel nudged Harvey, but he needed no prodding. His full attention was now on the Asian kid by the piano, who was belting out a song he'd never heard of.

_Sami__  
><em>_Ooh when I say__  
><em>_Sami__  
><em>_When I say__  
><em>_Why can't you see__  
><em>_What you're doing to me__  
><em>_What you're doing to me_

Wes finally lowered his eyes, and David realized that he could breathe again.

* * *

><p><em>"We both made it!"<em>Wes and David ran through the courtyard, laughing away the tension of the history test they had just suffered through.

The list of the newest members of the Dalton Academy Warblers had just been posted outside of the dining hall, and they were two of only eight freshmen who had made it.

"I don't get it though," Wes admitted, "I mean, I kind of sucked."

David looked shocked. "Are you kidding me? You were amazing! Even Medel was tearing up. Didn't you notice?"

"No, I wasn't really looking around. I was just..." Wes trailed off, his ears turning red.

David said nothing, watching the ground. He knew where Wes's eyes had been focused for the entire song.

* * *

><p>"I cannot take another second of this," Wes grumbled.<p>

He had finally broken the unspoken code, and was now sitting at the Windsor table. The Hanovers were watching him disapprovingly, but he could care less about them.

"All they do is ignore me," he complained. "I mean sure, they're nice enough, but god! I get so bored sometimes, y'know?"

The Windsors shook their heads, grinning.

"The last thing we have is boredom," Chaz laughed. "We could stand for some boredom around here for once."

"Did someone say the 'B' word, Evan?"

"I believe they did, Ethan."

"This requires immediate attention. None of the esteemed Windsor house can claim 'boredom' and get away with it!"

In perfect synchronization, the twins lifted identical Nerf guns and leveled them with Charlie's face.

"Oh no you don't!" Blaine grabbed the weapons before the Tweedles had a chance to do any damage.

There was a mad scramble as they attempted to wrench the guns away from Blaine's surprisingly strong grip.

Wes was laughing uncontrollably. "Honestly, you guys are way more fun than the Hanovers."

"You might want to talk to your doctor," David said, "because I think there may be something incredibly wrong with you if you can actually stand us for this long."

Wes rolled his eyes at his friend. "Believe me, I'd way rather be caught in the Tweedles' line of fire than be stuck in my room with Blaise-The-Mute all night."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this?"<p>

"Hell, yeah! I am not going to wait in there another minute."

It was almost the end of the second semester, and Wes had finally received permission to transfer to Windsor House.

"I honestly can't understand you. I mean, you've seen what we're like!" David looked almost serious.

Wes just laughed, carrying his green suitcase up the stairs, to the dorm he would now be sharing with David.

"_Duck!_" someone screamed, and Wes hit the floor just in time to miss a flying baseball bat.

"God, I'm so sorry!" Drew cried, running after it.

Wes just smiled. No matter how cliché it might sound, he really felt like he was home. Seeing him smile, David looked at Wes like he was certifiably crazy.

...

"Welcome to my lair," David quipped, opening the door to his dorm.

Wes stepped inside, and took in the widescreen TV, numerous squashy couches, and rug so thick, his feet disappeared.

"I could get used to this!"

Suddenly, he spied David's desk. It was covered in pictures of a beautiful, laughing girl. Sometimes, she stood with her arm around him, her golden-brown hair falling over his shoulders, but most of the photos she occupied alone.

"Who's that?"

David suddenly changed. His face relaxed, his eyes lit up, and his voice was soft.

"She's Katherine, my girlfriend."

Wes felt cold, but he didn't know why. He busied himself with unpacking his suitcase.

"Harry Potter marathon tonight on ABC. Why don't we watch it, to celebrate your moving in?

"Excellent idea. But don't blame me if I skip out on _Prisoner of Azkaban_. It's perhaps the worst movie of all time."

"You're joking," David said in astonishment, "the third is my _favorite_! Anyway, there's no way it could be worse than the fifth. It should be titled _Harry Potter and the Time He Hit Puberty_. Talk about angst..."

Wes threw a pillow at his friend. "The fifth was the best! It kept the closest to the actual book out of any other movie!

"Whatever. Hey, _Sorcerer's Stone_starts in ten minutes!"

They settled on the couch, both of them agreeing that the first movie really was the best.

...

David woke up slowly. The sunlight was glowing in his face, and a commercial for Pajama Jeans was playing quietly on the TV. He realized he must have fallen asleep on the couch. Looking to his left, he saw that Wes was sleeping on his shoulder. David smiled. It was somewhat uncomfortable, but he didn't want to wake the peaceful-looking boy. Wes's dark hair looked soft and silky, and David had the sudden uncontrollable urge to run his fingers through it. Luckily, though, Wes woke up at that moment.

He clonked David's nose as his head jerked up abruptly.

"Jesus, Wes!"

David sat rubbing his nose as Wes got up.

"W-w-when's breakfast?" he yawned.

David checked his phone. "Fifteen minutes. Thank god it's Saturday."

They were interrupted by a bang, then a scream.

Evan (or was it Ethan?) stuck his head through the door.

"Welcome to Windsor!" he announced, grinning.

* * *

><p>Wes came out of his English classroom, resisting the urge to start skipping down the hall. A fit of giddiness overcame him, and he ran towards Blaine, laughing.<p>

"The last of the finals! Finished!"

The two high-fived, then fell in step as they walked toward Windsor.

"Oh. My. God. I seriously thought Murdoch was going to _eat_me when I finished first. Can you believe he actually accused me of cheating off of Bailey?"

"Forget about him!" Wes couldn't keep the glee out of his voice. "In fact, I'm seriously looking forward to forgetting every single thing we had to learn all year."

"That's where we come in."

The Tweedles had appeared out of nowhere, Evan linking arms with Blaine, and Ethan with Wes.

"Party."

"Tonight."

"Don't tell Howard."

They ran off ahead of Blaine and Wes, pulling out identical cellphones, no doubt to make further preparations for what was sure to be a hell of a party.

"Aren't they worried about getting caught?"

"Are you kidding me?" Blaine laughed. "What do you think the teachers do once finals are over? Believe me, they are going to have some serious hangover tomorrow."

* * *

><p>The twins had obviously been busy. By the time Blaine and Wes reached Windsor, there was already a Moon Bounce set up outside, and a truck had just arrived, unloading what appeared to be...<p>

"Cows? Why cows?" Wes asked, bewildered.

"Why not cows?" Shouted a Tweedle over his shoulder as he led a caterer inside.

Wes pulled open the door, and found himself in a chaotic mess of lights, streamers, food, people, and cows.

Charlie was sitting in the corner, experiencing some kind of moral dilemma.

"I should put a stop to this...but the teachers are all out getting drunk now anyway... oh, what the hell!" Chaz seemed to reach a conclusion, as he got up to point someone carrying live lobsters toward the kitchen.

"That's the spirit!" Drew shouted, from his precarious position on top of a bookshelf, where he was hanging streamers.

* * *

><p>Music was pumping through the house, but it was so loud that Wes couldn't make out the words, just the <em>thump-thump<em>of the beat. Reed was sitting in a corner, completely surrounded by pillows. This served a dual purpose- to keep the clumsy teen from injuring himself, and to prevent anyone from stepping on him. He held a drink in one hand, and the other clutched his knees to his chest. Tears were pouring down his face. He was mumbling, but Wes could only make out a few words.

"Forever... alone," Reed choked, "no one... loves..." He began to rock back and forth.

For some reason, Wes found this hysterically funny. He was laughing, so hard that he fell over. The guys around him started laughing too, and soon the sound of raucous laughter almost drowned out the music. Wes held on to the edge of a side-table, trying to hoist himself up, but only succeeded in pulling it down on top of himself. Out of nowhere, an arm appeared, and he grabbed it. The arm was strong, and Wes found himself on his feet again.

"Th-thanks," he slurred. He couldn't figure exactly who his savior was, although the person had blonde hair.

_Which describes half the guys who go here,_ Wes thought, and was laughing again. When he pulled himself together, he turned back to the person, who miraculously was still there.

"Hey, have you, have you seen, uh..." Wes couldn't remember what he was looking for, but he hoped the other boy could help him find it.

"Mad Hatter? Over by the DJ booth. He's looking for you, too."

_Mad hatter... Mad hatter..._

"Oh, David," Wes realized, and set off.

"David! Uh, David?" He wandered through the bodies, hoping the DJ booth was in this direction.

"Here, man!" Wes spun around, and found himself face-to-face with his best friend.

"Hi! I was, I was looking for..." Wes was suddenly alarmed. David wasn't smiling. That was his favorite part about David, that big smile.

"Why aren't you smiling?" Wes grinned to illustrate his point.

But David continued to stare with wide eyes, his mouth decidedly frowning.

Maybe David hadn't heard him. Wes got closer, yelling above the thumping beat, "Smile, David!"

It wasn't working. Wes leaned forward.

_If David won't smile, then I'll make him do it myself._

Wes pressed his lips against his friend's.

_What..?_

David put a hand against Wes's neck, holding him close. Wes found himself suddenly incredibly aware, rising out of his drunken haze. David's soft lips were on his for only a moment longer, then he heard a wolf-whistle and laughter, and they broke apart. Wes felt his face heating up, and he stumbled away, not daring to look at David or the others.

He sank into a chair in a dark corner.

_I don't... I can't..._

He didn't understand it. He'd just kissed his best friend. Or his best friend had kissed him? Wasn't that wrong?

It hadn't felt wrong at all, though. In fact, it felt... just right.

Wes promptly fell asleep, his chin resting on his chest, the party continuing to throb around him.

* * *

><p>The next day was living hell. Everyone slept in late, then woke up to splitting headaches. Sitting up, Wes felt a sudden wave of nausea, and ran to the toilet, just making it.<p>

As he gargled the sour taste away with mouthwash, he tried to recall the events of the party. Another stab of pain impaled his brain, and he gave up thinking altogether.

Shoving on a nearby pair of sunglasses, Wes trudged out of the bathroom, and toward the kitchen.

"Hangover buffet!" called an earsplitting voice, and Wes and the nearby boys cowered in agony.

"Shut... up," whispered Blaine, wincing.

Wes took a seat at the wooden kitchen table. Miraculously, the Tweedles were bright and chipper, standing at the stove, making mountains of omelettes. Each time they set a plate on the counter, Wes cringed at the clatter.

"Dig in!" the twins chorused, whispering.

The hung-over Windsors ate ravenously.

"If this gets rid of my headache, I'm going to eat a million of these," Chaz grumbled over his eggs.

There was a slam as the kitchen door opened and closed, and everyone clapped their hands over their ears, whimpering.

David stumbled in.

"I miss breakfast?" he mumbled, slouching over to the table.

Wes turned bright red. Now he remembered what had happened last night. Avoiding everyone's gaze, he muttered something about going back to bed. David looked surprised, but didn't stop him.

Wes reached the dorm, and fell face-down on the bed. He was _so _tired...

* * *

><p>It was dinner time, and the boys were finally beginning to feel civil. They joined the rest of the school for a meal of grilled salmon and rice pilaf, only a few of them still cowering behind sunglasses.<p>

It was clear that Windsor wasn't the only house that spent all night partying. The Stuarts looked even more grumpy and irritable than ever, and Blaise from Hanover got up at one point, ran to the nearest garbage can, and puked his guts out.

Wes began to devour his dinner, noting that many of the staff appeared to be in similarly bad shape, wincing whenever someone's fork knocked against their plate too loudly.

Wes was sitting at the end of the table, Evan planted on his left. He heard a chair being pushed back, and looked up just in time to see David take the seat directly across from him. Ethan joined them, noted Wes's red face and David's nervous looks, and grinned at his twin. The two reached some sort of silent understanding, then began noisily eating.

"Wes, have you been avoiding me?" David's abrupt question caused Wes to glance quickly upward, then refocus on his plate, his ears blazing.

"No..."

"This is about last night, isn't it? The, uh, the kiss?" David whispered the last word.

Wes shrugged, then finally looked up, his eyes meeting David's.

David lowered his gaze. "It's not like it meant anything, right?"

"Yeah," Wes echoed, "we were just drunk."

"Er," David fiddled with his fork, his voice coming out strained, "It wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No," Wes agreed, "Not as bad as everyone makes it sound."

There was muffled laughter from the Tweedles, and Wes gave them a glare that caused them to observe how lovely the weather was that day.

* * *

><p>Wes and David were lying in their respective beds when David called, "We're cool right?"<p>

"Sure," Wes answered quietly, "No big deal."


End file.
